Controlled burn creating smoky skies south of Vero Beach

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY - Smoke rising in the sky south of Vero Beach is not cause for alarm, according to the Florida Forest Service.

State and county officials are using fire to clear 45 acres on the county’s Hallstrom Farmstead Conservation Area in the 1700 block of Old Dixie Highway.

The fire, which probably will last to 3 p.m. Thursday, is for burning off old groves so native plants can grow there, officials said. The 93-acre conservation area is home to Florida scrub jays and the gopher tortoises that depend on native plants.

Firefighters plan to be at the site until 5 p.m. to make sure the fire is out.